Moon Bourne
by Jackie Almasy
Summary: Vilkas had faced nightmarish ghouls, rabid werewolves, and things only legends could depict. And yet, nothing could compare to the terror he was feeling at that moment listening to the screams of the Dragonborn. F!Dragonborn x Vilkas.
1. Tension

Moon Bourne

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>I am battle scarred, I am working oh so hard<em>

_To get back to who I used to be_

A Fine Frenzy, "Near To You"

Chapter 1

Tension

Vilkas had no idea how long he had been pacing. The only thing he could hear was his low growl of despondency. His heavy armor boots clinked heavily on the wooden floor of the house. With each pass back and forth in front of the fire, Farkas cast a quiet but stern look up towards his brother. He said nothing but merely watched as the tension seemed to be growing more and more palpable.

They were both trained warriors having been through hordes of enemies, uncertain times of death, and dealt with tombs of the likes that some in the land of Skyrim would never see. But this was a whole new level of agitation that Farkas has never seen before in his brother.

"Vilkas."

Stopping in mid step, Vilkas's head snapped to stare at his brother as if a bone had been snatched from a very hungry and angry dog.

"_**What**_ Farkas?"

Not surprised by his brother's agitation and snap, Farkas nodded simply to the boiling over pot above the fireplace.

"Your stew brother. It's boiling over."

Vilkas had completely forgotten that he had offered his brother some dinner, let alone put the actual pot on to cook.

"Hircine's Ass!"

Rushing foreword, Vilkas grabbed the large wooden spoon leaning against the nearby chair. Trying to hook the incredibly hot metal bowl onto the seemingly flimsy wooden material, Vilkas barely managed to set the pot on the stones of the open fireplace. The food was burned beyond recognition now as the frothy bubbles reeked of burned meat and broth.

Vilkas sighed heavily and with great annoyance as he heard his brother rise from his seat and move cautiously behind him.

"Forgive me Farkas. It was not my intention to ruin your dinner. My mind is just…"

"You're distracted brother. It's not like you. In a hunt you would have already lost your prey. In a battle, your head would already be decapitated from your head."

"Are you suggesting I have forgotten how to do battle?"

"No brother. But you've lost your head. Can't think clearly without it."

Taking in a deep sigh, Vilkas lowered his body into one of the two nearby chairs in front of the fire. Leaning into one of the arms of the strong wood, he rubbed his dirty face along the cold steel of his armored glove.

"I wish to the Nine that Kodlak was here right now. He would know what to do."

"I don't know." Sitting down once again in the seat next to his brother, Farkas joined his hands together before looking cautiously around the room. His gaze flickered momentarily to the ceiling before he spoke again.

"How long has she been up there?"

A heavy sigh emitted through the room before his brother responded. "Six hours. Maybe eight."

"Is her housecarl with her? Lydia?"

"Yes. That's all the healer is letting in right now."

Walking to the nearby cupboards, Farkas rummaged nosily through the dishes before taken out two deeps tankards. Setting them down, he brought a nearby bottle of mead to his mouth and ripped out the cork with his teeth. Spitting it to the floor, he poured the frothy spicy alcohol into the waiting cups.

Handing one to his brother with a deep grunt, Vilkas took a big swig of the alcohol. Feeling the familiar burn of spice combining with the sweet lull of the drink, the warrior looked halfheartedly into the fire before him.

"_Eisa…"_

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><p><em>Lydia tossed two newly cut logs into the open fireplace, watching embers rise and crackle into the air. Sighing softly, the housecarl looked around the empty house uneasily. It had been too long since the departure of her thane. She had remembered the young Nord walking into her newly furnished home, rambling on about some cave she needed to explore, and needing to do it alone.<em>

_Lydia had been persistent in her coming along to protect her and watch her back. The young woman's black hair had been cut in the time between her last visit and then. Ending just below her shoulder line, Lydia was amazed that she hadn't gotten the long locks of hair caught on her bowstring or arrows yet. Her thane's dirt caked skin had twitched up into a smirk by her pale lips and it was then that Lydia had noticed the newly healed scar along her cheek._

_It ran dangerously close to her left eye. Too close and it would have permanently blinded her emerald gaze forever. After muttering about business for the Companions, Lydia had watched in silent annoyance as the warrior quickly left the house after collecting supplies and food. _

_That had been three days ago and Lydia was starting to get worried._

_A sudden loud knock on the door broke her train of thoughts. Rising from the large wooden chair, the woman warrior set her cup of mead down on the nearby table. Grabbing the large knob, Lydia opened the door to see Vilkas of the Companions outside on the steps._

"_Good evening Vil…" Lydia was suddenly interrupted as Vilkas shoved the door open with his heavy armored arm. Pushing past the housecarl, Lydia watched in shock and anger as the man began wandering through the rooms of the home without consent._

"_What in Sovngarde do you think that yer doing?" Lydia exclaimed loudly as she followed the frantic man up the stairs._

"_Where is she?" Vilkas demanded as he turned to the left doorway at the top of the stairs and did not find what she was looking for._

"_My thane is not here! Now please, come back down to the kitchen and do not invade her privacy any more!"_

_Narrowing his dark eyes dangerously, Vilkas eyed the closed double doors behind Lydia. Shoving her aside, Vilkas pushed the double doors open so hard that Lydia was sure that marks had been made on the walls._

"_I said, **where is she**?"_

"_Lady Eisa is not here! She left three nights ago for a cave! She would not tell me where she was going. Only that Kodlak himself had given her an immediate task to complete!" Lydia exclaimed but then stopped curiously._

_Looking up to meet the fierce warrior's gaze, she spoke softly._

"_Now that you mention it, she seemed relieved. More so than I have seen her be in months…"_

_Vilkas stopped and felt his breath stop deep in his chest. A task from Kodlak? But why would he have sent Eisa and not himself to complete it? She had only been with the Companions for three months now._

_Kodlak had not been sleeping nor eating well the past few days. Whatever was on the old man's mind was weighing him down heavily. Maybe perhaps a cure had finally been found. Vilkas found a part of him rejoicing with the primal beast inside of his raging bloodstream howling in utter detest._

"_Upon her return, you will direct her to me. She has much to answer for. Do you understand?"_

_Narrowing her eyes angrily at the headstrong Nord before her, Lydia folded her arms across her chest._

"_Perfectly."_

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><p><em>This mini story will consist of three to five chapters. Simply putting it; I cannot stop playing Skyrim. My Nord married Vilkas and this is an idea that has been rolling around in my head for awhile now.<em>

_As for what Vilkas might be freaking out about, see if you can guess. Update will aimed at being once every three to five days._

_Happy Holidays!_

_Jackie Almasy_

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	2. Tragedy

Moon Bourne

By Jackie Almasy

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><p><em>Stop running all the time<em>

_Don't hide the feelings inside_

_Cause when you try to hide_

_No matter where you go, it's deep in your soul_

-Schiller & Colbie Caillat, "You"

Chapter 2

Tragedy

Ten hours.

It has been ten long and tension filled agonizing hours since Vilkas had been shoved out of his own bedroom and away from his wife's side. Farkas had dozed off into a drunken stupor in the large wooden chair. Dangling from his fingertips, the iron tankard finally gave into gravity's call and fell to the floor with an unforgiving loud clamor. Still heavily under the mead's siren lull, Vilkas looked over to see his brother stir only slightly and mumble something before settling back down.

Vilkas looked down at his still half filled glass and sighed heavily. To not appreciate good mead was as good as committing murder in Skyrim but tonight the spicy undertones of the alcohol did nothing to soothe his nervous mind.

Another scream of pain drifted down the stairs and through the wooden ceiling above him. Vilkas immediately stood up and stared helplessly at the physical barrier between Eisa and himself. Her cries only continued to summon the anger boiling deep in his gut towards the healer who dared to keep him away from her.

"To Oblivion with this!"

Throwing his tankard to the side in a sudden spurt of courage and determination, the warrior made his way noisily up the stairs. Ignoring the sudden awakening of his drunk brother, his word fell on Vilkas's deaf ears.

Quickly turning around the corner, his darkened eyes met Lydia's form in front of the door. She was pale and covered in sweat and what made Vilkas stop in his tracks was the red blood caked all over her bare hands and armor.

"Let me pass Lydia."

The Nord woman frowned heavily. She knew of Vilkas's strength but also was firmly made aware of the healer's direct orders. No men in the room with the Dragonborn, with Eisa. Her face appeared tired and pale. She was exhausted from the grueling last ten hours of screams of pain, terror, and so much blood. Eisa was in a desperate struggle of survival right now. Her cries of her husband's name had not been lost to the housecarl but even at the behest to the healer to allow Vilkas's presence at his wife's side, the Nord warrior might as well have been talking to a wall.

Lydia had witnessed Eisa returning from battle with wounds seemingly beyond healing. She had seen on several occasions Eisa being carried into the city on death's door from her battles with the dragons haunting the country of Skyrim. Her armor had been blackened by the flames of the once mythical beasts, bruises as purple as the midnight skies, and bows reduced to ash. But compared to those times of strife, the fear present in Eisa's eyes during these last few hours had been nothing compared to then.

"I cannot allow you to pass Vilkas."

"You're a fool to think you can get in my way right now Lydia."

"Don't make me try to stop you." The words came slowly from housecarl's mouth. An air of caution and warning suddenly grew between them. Lydia made her way back to the front of the doors, folding her arms over her chest.

"Please, for Lady Eisa's sake, do not make me fight you." Lydia's words fell from her tongue with a taste of bitterness with it. She hated begging and despised beyond recognition. She was not a woman to bend over for the will of a man but for the sake of the woman she had sworn to protect and to whom she had come to care for as a sister, Lydia pushed down her pride this one time.

"I want to see my wife!"

Farkas managed to walk somewhat steadily up the stairs to watch the confrontation. Eyeing Lydia quietly, the younger brother nodded towards her.

"You know you cannot! The healer demands that the room be free of men during this traumatic time. Do you wish to distract her during such a tremendously critical time?"

"I cannot sit idly by listening to her screaming my name anymore!" Vilkas walked up to Lydia, grabbing her suddenly behind the head. With a fistful of her brown hair in his hand, Vilkas roughly shoved the housecarl against the wooden doors. The clatter of metal and cries of surprise protest momentarily drowned out Vilkas's rising temper. Had he still been cursed by Hircine with the werewolf blood coursing through his veins, nothing would have stopped him at that moment from transforming and ripping the Nord to shreds.

"You and your damn healer can burn in the flames of Oblivion for all I care! How long do you expect me to sit downstairs and not do anything? How long did you think I was going to let your barbaric traditions and beliefs keep me away from _**my**_ wife?"

Shaking her violently, Vilkas fought against Farkas's attempt to make him releae Lydia. Shoving her head once more against the wood, Vilkas felt his anger boil over.

"TELL ME! Do you truly _dare_ continue to stand in between a moment that I by right of the Nine Divine have a right to witness?"

Breathing heavily through the pain, Lydia opened her eyes defiantly to look at Vilkas. Opening her mouth, she spat her words out with disgust and anger.

"Yes! Yes I dare! Because you have no right to enter such an incredible moment like this! Tell me Vilkas of the Companions…" Bringing her face inches from the man's before her, Lydia whispered with a hatred that seemed as cold as an Ice Wraith's bite.

"Do you remember the night of her return? The promise of hatred and contempt you threw at her face? Do you dare claim to have the right to witness a moment such as this with those words you yourself said?"

Gasping softly, Vilkas stared back as he felt his heart become heavy with regret and sadness as the memory she spoke of came coming back full tilt as if it was yesterday.

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><p><em>The doors of Jorrvaskr burst open as Eisa ran through the bloodied halls. Her light leather armor jingled with her hastened steps. Bow in hand, the Nord woman looked around the make shift battle field with horror and dread. Blood drips were cast upon her face from helping to kill the two foes at the entrance steps.<em>

_Aela's eyes had been filled with sheer relief at seeing her fellow Companion as the last of the Silver Hand fell. Taking a dwarven arrow to the neck, the sworn enemy of the Companions had fallen to the Huntress's feet quickly. News of the daring surprise attack had accomplished with Eisa had feared the most; death._

_Eisa didn't stick around long enough to get named before she burst into a full run towards the great hall before her. It had quickly become her home in the last three months and had provided her with a sense of belonging. Purpose had once again filled the Dragonborn's veins after the news of her daunting destiny had been made apparent to her all those weeks ago._

_The killing of the first dragon, the monolithic typhoon of power, dread, and sadness overwhelming her senses as the soul of the mighty foe entered her very being. It had felt intrusive, like a raping of her very soul. She had been wandering looking for purpose after such a large responsibility had been placed upon her and she had found it with her fellow brothers and sisters of the shield._

_And now the one man who had seen something in her she hadn't dared look for was lying dead before her in a pool of his own blood. Rested on the lap of the weeping maid, the old woman affectionately brushed the white strands drenched in red blood away from Kodlak's face. His wrinkled and aged with battle skin was as pale as his hair. Lodged deep into his chest, six hours had been the source of his death but Eisa recognized the one no more than centimeters from his heart as the death blow._

_The cascade of moans of pain and agony from her fellow Companions fell on deaf ears. She shook her head slowly in disbelief as she walked towards the empty shell of Kodlak._

"_No…"_

_It was all she could manage to whisper before falling to her knees before her Harbinger. Her black hair slipped down around her face but they could not hide the growing tears in her eyes. This wasn't supposed to have happened, not after everything she had gone through. She had just faced hell of the lies of which she could never describe in words. The stench of death had been horrible. The cave itself seemed to be alive with the very essence of dread and ancient evil magic. The cries of the witches as they died by her arrows had sounded as if Death himself was riding towards her._

_And now, with the Witches of Glenmoril dead and Kodlak's dream of a cure for his lycanthropy in sight, it was all snatched away in her one moment of belief. The very thought of Kodlak forever trapped in Hircine's Hunt made her very soul seem to freeze over._

_It wasn't until she felt a rough pain in her arm that she was brought back to reality. The iron grip around her arm was painful and looking to the right it was then that she saw Vilkas's angered form dragging her away from the fallen Harbinger._

"_What are you doing?" Eisa demanded as she struggled against the werewolf's strength. She went dead quiet as Vilkas allowed his werewolf blood to come through enough to let out a menacingly low growl. Going around the large fallen feast tables, Vilkas pushed opened the doors to the practice area before throwing her with all his human might onto the ground._

_He stood over her fallen form and with the moon hanging above her, Eisa could have sworn this his eyes had just glowed red._

"_Where were you?"_

_Eisa stood slowly, looking to Vilkas with confusion and anger._

"_What happened here? Why did the Silver Hand attack here directly?"_

_Ignoring her questions, the Nord stepped foreword to bring his face inches from hers. Eisa could smell the amount of blood on him. With her werewolf sense of smell, it almost caused her to throw up. He had given in to the beast he had fought for so long and the carnage that had been present, she guessed, could only have been on a whole new level of death._

"_I said, where were you?"_

"_I-I was on a weeks ride to Bilegulch Mine. At…" She felt her throat tighten with sorrow at Kodlak's name as she furiously blinked away the tears. "At Kodlak's request, he found a way to cure himself. I killed the Witches! He wanted them dead."_

"_And you couldn't have told any of us? Are we not your fellow brothers and sisters in arms of the inner circle?"_

_His screams became more and more intense, demanding answers but to what extent Eisa could not see._

"_Kodlak trusted you with this and look what it got him! Death by the Silver Hand which never would have dared try out very home and base had Aela and you not attacked them!"_

_Eisa felt her heart sink. The weight of his words seemed to shatter the ground beneath her feet. She could feel her body begin to shake. Vilkas must have noticed as well as he suddenly grabbed her by the front of her leather armor and pulled her to face level. Her toes barely touched the ground._

"_It's because of **you**! It's because of you that our Harbinger is dead!"_

_She could see the water in his eyes forming like a sheen of glass. His own strength and anger betrayed him as he once again shoved her terrified form to the ground._

"_How **dare **you show your face here and now mere minutes after you could have saved him! How **dare** you leave us unprotected and unguarded when we needed your archery skills the most!"_

"_It's because of you that my Harbinger, my teacher, my guide is dead!"_

_The sentence cut through Eisa like a hot knife. Her breathing seemed to stop all together. She was a skilled warrior and marksman but a drunken sailor could have stabbed her at that moment and she wouldn't have noticed them coming._

_Clenching his fists, Vilkas brought them to his face and then the side of his head before letting out a soul wrenching scream of loss and anger. Walking up the stairs, the warrior threw the sets of tables against the stone walls causing the strong wood to shatter into pieces._

"_Hircine take you to Oblivion! **This is all your fault**!"_

_Panting over her, Vilkas wasted no time in walking back to the doors of the great hall and slamming them shut. Leaving her out in the cold harsh winter winds, the Dragonborn cradled her face in her hands as her tears of agony and loss were lost to the stars and falling snowflakes._

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><p><em>Update time! I must admit that I am very surprised at all the followings and alerts this story has gotten. I hope I don't let you all down!<em>

_Musical inspiration for this chapter solely goes to Malukah's cover of "The Dragonborn Comes." If you haven't seen it, Youtube it. It's simply amazing._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	3. Together

Moon Bourne

By Jackie Almasy

_Piece by piece undress you from your history_

_I'm sleeping with seclusion in sweet disarray_

-Holly Brook, "Heavy"

**Warning: Sexual Content Present.**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Together

_The gentle lapping of the waves on the nearby shore was the only sound Eisa could hear. Her emerald gaze watched the beautiful lights dance across the clear night sky. Before she could even catch herself doing it, the silent rogue took in a deep breath and let it out. The bright moon above her was cascaded in shades of reds, greens, and oranges that Eisa had never seen before._

_Away from the villages, settlements, and cities of Skyrim where the only sound present was the chirping of the night creatures, the cold nip of the winter wind, and the occasional howl of a wolf on the hunt, Eisa felt at peace at long last._

_She felt herself stop momentarily as she warily searched her thoughts. Peace? Would such a word even exist in her lifetime? Or would she simply have to appreciate the quiet moments in between battles, politics, and fire breathing dragon attacks? Shifting nervously on the ground, Eisa brought her knees to her chest as she wrapped her arms around them._

_Bringing her chin to rest on top of her knees, Eisa couldn't help but reflect more on the last three to four months. It had been almost four whole moon cycles since Kodlak's sudden death. That night still haunted her actions at times, serving as a constant reminder that despite the beast's blood running through her veins that she needed to remain vigilant of her decisions. Since then, the inner circle of the Companions had traveled to the Tomb of Ysgramor, returned the broken shards to their rightful place, and witnessed an ethereal haunting they never thought to see again._

_As Eisa and Aela had walked into the deepest part of the tomb, Eisa's emerald gaze had widened in complete horror and relief at the same time. Waiting in the very center of the tomb, the spirit of Kodlak turned his gaze quietly and beckoned them with a tired smile. The Harbinger had been kind in his words despite the horror he must have been facing in Hircine's realm. Upon showing the ghost one of the two heads Eisa had brought, the look of happiness that suddenly spread over her face had been emotional._

_Aela said nothing to her shield sister as she witnessed two single tears slip down the Nord's face._

_The battle to save Kodlak's soul had been surprisingly draining. The mighty spirit of the aged werewolf had appeared suddenly and with a vengeance. Aela with her speed and agility had taken cover on the higher elevations of the tomb. With a strength Eisa had not seen in anyone else with a bow, the Huntress had unleashed a fury of steel arrows onto the wolf spirit while Eisa was distracting it on the ground._

_Once the wolf had fallen into nothing with a howl of defeat, Eisa collapsed to her knees panting and gasping for air. The werewolf in her was clawing at her mind and soul, begging to be released. It had taken all her strength to summon the beast back. In her battle for control over her mind, Eisa felt a cold mist slowly cup the side of her face. Beckoning her gaze up, Eisa looked up slowly to see the smiling face of Kodlak staring down at her._

"_K-Kodlak… Please… Forgive me."_

_Eisa's trembling voice had begged at the spirit of the beloved leader. As tears continued to stream down her face, Kodlak slowly shook his head before whispering towards the newest member of his beloved family._

"_Nothing to forgive young one." Flickering his gaze to the side to see Aela watching them with uncertainty. Smiling in her direction, he nodded respectfully in her direction. It was with a slow nod that Aela responded as the grip on her bow was visibly tightening. Her knuckles were becoming white and shaking._

"_I now go to the Halls of Sovngarde young one. And it is all thanks to the Companions and you. May your blades stay sharp and shields strong."_

_Letting go of her face, Kodlak turned and began walking towards an invisible light that seemed to beckon him. Before completely disappearing, one last whisper filled with serenity unlike anything heard from him before echoed throughout the cold tomb._

"_Farewell my new Harbinger."_

_Falling back out of her memory, Eisa continued to stare at the water scenes before her. Her? The new Harbinger? Surely Kodlak had been joking but since stepping up to run the Companions, both Farkas, Vilkas, and herself had cured themselves of their lycanthropy. Aela, though bitter about being the only one left with the werewolf blood, had grudgingly accepted their decisions._

_The sudden dropping of firewood into the nearby makeshift fireplace surprised her out of her thoughts. Looking to the side, Vilkas placed three large logs into the large flame. The cold ground was mercilessly free of snow though the frozen dirt seemed frozen enough on its own. Eisa couldn't help but stare at the two handed master in front of her. His silver armor reflected the red flickering light of the fire before him. His dark black hair was dangling along his framed face and strong neck._

_Talos help her but in the months since their altercation on the night of Kodlak's death, Eisa had become more fond of the warrior. It had started off as a healthy respect for his warrior capabilities and slowly but surely, the trust that had been fragmented that night was rebuilt. She could still remember less than a week ago how unlike his normal demeanor Vilkas was as he had approached her._

_She had been back for less than three days time from her trip to Ysgramor's Tomb with Farkas. She finally realized that each wolf spirit had been different. While her own werewolf blood had seemed to be more agile, Eisa had taken a blow to the chest from Farkas's spirit. Even fighting dragons, Eisa had never felt such a blunt force hit her before. She had fallen back onto the floor holding her chest and gasping for air. If Farkas had not been swift in stabbing his own spirit in the few second in between her falling and the wolf spirit descending on her for the final kill, she surely would have perished that evening._

_Vilkas had seen his brother able to finally breathe, sleep, and look rested. While drinking mead late one night at Jorrvaskr, the inner circle warrior had approached her. With a grace he did not possess, Vilkas had very noisily and uneasily asked for the new Harbinger's assistance in curing his own lycanthropy. What had caught Eisa off guard was the look of complete sincerity in his eyes. While he had never been one to hide his thoughts, Vilkas for once in their friendship looked completely at her mercy._

_Eisa could not have said no if she wanted to. Perhaps it was then that Eisa had finally set her wondering thoughts aside and finally realized of her feelings towards the man._

_But perhaps that is all they would be. Unrequited feelings._

"_Eisa? What is the matter?"_

_Vilkas's voice drew her out of her thoughts. Eisa felt a blush creep up onto her face as she realized that she must have been lost in her thoughts a long time. In between her memories and reflections, he had managed to set up two makeshift tents and set their bedrolls for the night._

"_Mara preserve my foolish hide." Eisa thought embarrassingly to herself._

"_N-Nothing Vilkas. Please forgive me. I was lost in my thoughts."_

_Chuckling softly, Vilkas tended to the fire one last time before walking slowly towards his sitting companion._

"_Best be careful. Wouldn't want Farkas to think he has competition in absent mindedness."_

_Laughing softly, Eisa smiled at his joke. It had been a long time since they had just talked. According to her heart, it had been too long since the last time._

"_No. We wouldn't want to upset Farkas now would we?"_

_After a moment of uncomfortable silence fell between them, Eisa looked up. Raising an eyebrow in his direction, she motioned to the ground next to her._

"_Well are you going to stand there all night? Or would you care to sit. No one else has claimed the spot. I promise."_

_Eyeing both spots with an uneasy tension, Vilkas slowly lowered his two handed sword to the ground. Sitting down onto the cold ground next to her, Vilkas sighed softly as the water scene in front of him seemed to catch him off guard._

_Eisa chuckled softly. "Beautiful isn't it?"_

"_Yes." Vilkas admitted finally as if he was still taking in the sight before him. "It is."_

"_So, how do you feel?"_

_Looking to Eisa, Vilkas seemed to search for an honest answer to her question. She remained quiet and patient for his answer. Truthfully, it wasn't an easy question to answer. After being released of her lycanthropy, Eisa had felt hollow at first. Hollow due to how used to the presence of the beast she had learned to control after months of practice. To suddenly have it gone just like that had taken some time to get used to._

_However, she had only had the blood for close to eight moon cycles. To someone who had lived with the lycanthropy for years, she could only imagine the hole it left._

"_I feel… I feel like I am finally able to breathe and relax." Vilkas slowly began as if choosing his words carefully._

"_It's hard to describe. I can truly rest my body now instead of merely letting it be still. I can dream my own dreams instead of what the beast inside yearns for. It's like I can be me again."_

_Eisa tucked her black hair behind her ear and listened intently. Vilkas suddenly found himself taking in the sight before him. The small form of this Nord before him had completed something he never thought would happen. She had freed him of his beast and in turn given him a chance at a normal life. Well, as normal as a Companion could have._

_He couldn't stop staring into her emerald eyes. Even among the Nords in Skyrim, green eyes seemed rare. He could see why. They were captivating and dare he say, beautiful._

"_And I have you to thank for it."_

_Shaking her head, Eisa picked up a stone from the beginning of the beach and threw it into the vast ocean before her._

"_No. You don't. After all, I am merely fixing what I started."_

_Vilkas felt his smirk slowly turn into a frown and the uncomfortable tension between them took on a whole new level. He immediately knew of what she spoke. The night of Kodlak's death, Vilkas had allowed his anguish to get the better of him and take out his fury on her. It was undeserved and he knew it._

"_Eisa… The night of Kodlak's death. I didn't… What I mean is…" Cursing himself, Vilkas sighed heavily as he ran his gloved hand through his dirty black hair. Apologizing was never his strong suit. By the Nine, even admitting he was wrong is something he rarely even admitted to._

_Perhaps the stubbornness was truly his own and something he could no longer attribute to the lycanthropy._

"_I am sorry for that night. Kodlak's death was not your fault and I was wrong for blaming you."_

_She turned to look at him. "There is no need to apologize. I helped bring that upon us. Besides," The whisper that came from her lips caused a chill to run up Vilkas's spine._

"_He was like a father to you."_

"_Aye. That he was little one. That he was."_

_Biting her lower lip, Eisa turned to her bag and began rummaging through it. Gingerly lifting out an old leather journal, Eisa ran her fingers affectionately over the cover before handing the small book over to Vilkas._

"_I think if anyone deserves this, it's you."_

_Vilkas couldn't have hidden the look of surprise on his face even if he wanted to._

"_Is that…?"_

_Nodding in reassurance, Eisa continued softly._

"_Yes. It's Kodlak's journal. I have not had the heart to open it yet and after a lot of thinking determined that it is not mine to read."_

_Looking down at his dirty armored gloves, Vilkas quickly worked to release the leather bindings holding his armor on. Tossing them to the ground, he took the journal carefully into his heavily calloused hands._

"_Eisa…"_

"_Don't say anything Vilkas. You don't need to…"_

_Eisa didn't even have a chance to finish her sentence before being shoved suddenly to the ground. The icy cold ground send a shiver down her spine but not didn't shock her nearly as much as Vilkas suddenly leaning down over her and capturing her lips with his. Her eyes widened in shock and sheer disbelief._

_A dream. This had to be a dream. Oh Talos help her. She was dreaming again._

_But reality came crashing down as she began noticing things about him she hadn't before. His body smelled of sweat and earth. His lips were slightly chapped and rough but so warm. It wasn't until she felt his bare hand making its way up her neck and into her hair that she finally let out the softest sound of delicious defeat in her life._

_Reaching up with both hands, one cradled the right side of his neck as the other touched his unshaven face. Tilting her head to deepen the kiss, Eisa kissed him back with a sudden fervor she had been holding back for months. Reassured by her actions, Vilkas grunted in the kisses and stepped up the passion as his tongue sought entrance into her mouth by running it along her closed lips._

_Her body just seemed to open to him on all sorts of new levels as she eagerly opened her mouth. It soon became a battle of dominance as their tongues danced heatedly back and forth. Exploring every inch of her mouth, Vilkas pulled away minutes later gasping for breath. Opening his eyes look down at his work, his lusted gaze stared down at Eisa's._

_Her eyes seemed glossed over from the sudden passion they had just shared. How long had he been wanting this? For nights had had dreamed of claiming her as his own both in body and soul. The first step had been taken and it was much more intense than he had ever imagined._

_Her panting form beneath him was becoming aroused and awakened. Her lips were red and slightly swollen from the fierceness of his kisses. Her cheeks flushed and tinted with a red hue. It only seemed to drive him on. Bringing his head down to her neck, Vilkas began heatedly kissing along the delicate skin of her neck._

_To give him easier access to the supple tenderness of her skin, Vilkas suddenly wrapped one arm around her shoulders and one just above the beginning of her butt. Sitting up on his knees, he pulled the hot and curvaceous body of the warrior before him into his lap. Eisa moaned softly at feeling her body brought so close to his. Spreading her legs so either one was on opposite sides of his hips, she tilted her head back and slowed her eyes to close at the passionate kisses being placed upon her neck._

_Vilkas did not slow down in his possessive kisses. Suddenly biting into the skin of her neck, Vilkas sucked and licked his way back up to her chin leaving bruises and red bite marks. In turn, Eisa gasped in bliss and ground her hips right up against his._

_The grunt of sheer surprise pleasure caused Eisa to smile from ear to ear. His husky voice managed out against her skin._

"_E-Eisa! Any further and I cannot stop!"_

_Bringing her gaze down to his, Eisa suddenly and possessively kiss his lips with a ferociousness she didn't know she even possessed._

"_Did I say I wanted you to stop?" She whispered as their lips finally separated._

_Growling low in his throat, Vilkas suddenly used his strength to pick her up and walk them to one of the tents awaiting them. Throwing her onto the thin bearskin cloth, Vilkas stood above her as he worked to release himself from his constricting steel armor. Throwing aside his armored belt, he could hear his own panting drowned out by Eisa's equally drowned out frantic breathing._

_Kicking off her boots, Eisa furiously worked at her leather armor. Pushing down her pants, Vilkas soon became entranced by the toned legs before him. Shoving her hands away, Vilkas pulled down her undergarments leaving her bare and exposed. Both did not stop to admire each other._

_For tonight, primal sexual urges ruled their bodies and mind._

_Pulling her back onto his lap, Vilkas brought the head of his engorged penis to the wet entrance of her core. Rubbing back and forth teasingly a few times, Eisa gasped heavily and panted._

"_V-Vilkas!"_

_Wasting no time, Vilkas shoved his member to the hilt of her entrance in one swift move. The euphoria awaiting him was something he could never have expected as he cried out at the silky caress of her walls encasing him and drawing him further in. And by the Nine Divine, her body was hot. So hot and intoxicating._

_Eisa cried out at the sudden intrusion of his member. She hadn't even bothered in looking down at his size before taking him in. All that had mattered was a union with him. Unable to stop her moans and gasping of his name to remain coherent, Eisa felt her body tremble from the pain and pleasure mixed together. Managing to control the trembling of her body long enough to take a single deep breath, Eisa suddenly began a rocking rhythm with a strength that surprised even her._

_Caught off guard by her ferocity, Vilkas groaned outwardly as he grabbed her bare hips with his hands. An unforgiving pace soon began as Vilkas pounded over and over into her body. Vilkas had been with other women before but something about her drove him on and on. The drive to get her to fall over the edge screaming his name and his name only. He couldn't explain it but at that moment nothing but their release mattered._

_Eisa could feel her sin beginning to bruise with the strong grip of his fingers. Whimpering his name in the midst of her pantings and gasps of air, Eisa claimed his lips heatedly. Running her fingers through his hair, she tightened them suddenly as she felt him pulling his head away. Dominating in the kisses, Eisa only increased her downward force in the fast rhythm of their union._

_It wasn't long before Eisa reached her limit with the rough sex. Separating their lips only just enough to talk, Eisa panted out with a need in her voice that she didn't recognize._

"_S-So close! Vilkas! Oh Vilkas!"_

_Urged on by her whispers, Vilkas pumped into her two more times before feeling her body give way. Feeling her vaginal walls close down around his penis and pull him further in, Eisa's scream was soon drowned out by his own. He felt his hot seed shoot deep into her body and when he was spent, he barely had enough sense left in him to fall to the side and not on top of her._

_Panting heavily, Eisa was the first one to open her eyes and look to the man next to her. His skin was covered in sweat and hot to the touch. Raising a hand to his face, Vilkas slowly opened his eyes to the see hers. She was as equally spent and drained but in the moment of their aftermath, she tenderly moved his hair away from his face._

_Raising one of his hands to cover hers, his rough hand gently laced their fingers together. A silent declaration but one none the less._

_A step had finally been taken and it had been a long time coming._

* * *

><p>Vilkas had finally released Lydia at Farkas's behest. Stepping back from the door, Vilkas looked at the door behind her with a hurt longing that surprised even the housecarl.<p>

"Don't you dare doubt my love for that woman Lydia. You know _nothing_ of what we went through to get to this moment."

Shoving Farkas off of him, Vilkas turned and walked down the stairs to return to his chair once again. Leaving both surprised in his wake, Lydia once again took a seat by the door. Hearing Farkas slowly make his way down to the main floor of the house, Lydia tore off her blood stained gloves and threw them across the room with a clatter.

Biting her trembling lower lip, Lydia held back her cries as two tears slips down her cheeks. It was then that for the first time a long time that Lydia began praying to the Nine Divine for the miracle they so desperately needed.

* * *

><p><em>Damn! On a roll! Sadly though, the next chapter will have to wait till my next day off. Still, I hope you guys are enjoying this.<em>

_Reviews are much appreciated and a major thanks to those who have already reviewed, followed the story, and added alerts to it. Two more chapters to go._

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

_P.S. If there was ever a song that I think describes the up and down relationship of F!Dragonborn and Vilkas, it's probably "Honestly" by Kelly Clarkson. I had that song on repeat for three hours while writing this. Give a listen and tell me what you guys think!  
><em>

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	4. Thane

Moon Bourne

By Jackie Almasy

* * *

><p><em>I feel the air around you<br>_

_It's kind of closing in_

_Do you feel it fall or do you feel at all_

_I can  
><em>

-Blue October, "The Feel Again (Stay)"

Chapter 4

Thane

How long had it been since Eisa had dropped four simple words on him that had changed his life completely? The circumstances had been less than ideal and his reaction, much to his disgrace, had been less than accepting.

They were both warriors. Hard and stone cold warriors who had slowly built a relationship beyond physical companionship. Vilkas had never really considered love to be an option for him. Sure, sex was great. What man wouldn't want it and with a woman as alluring as Eisa?

It had been no more than two moon cycles since that wondrous night out in the cold wilderness of Skyrim. Even in the darkest reaches of his memory, he could still taste her mouth and tongue dancing with his own. The warmth of her skin, the suppleness of her strong body, and the grip of her calloused hands. She had smelled of sweat, the ocean saltiness, and a hint of nightingale. It had been a strange combo but in the heat of the moment, he couldn't think of a more alluring scent.

Their relationship had been kept quiet for a few more weeks after so they could figure out what it is that they had together. Whether it was simply a sexual satisfaction or something more that Vilkas had not thought about in a very long time. Since being raised by Kodlak as a young pup, Farkas and his brother had only known the quiet affections of a grandfather figure.

There had been no mother in their lives. None that he could remember anyways. The heat of battle was his lullaby songs at night. The clash of swords through endless hours of training was his playtime. Fighting for scraps of meat and bread was his meal time memories. All work and no play. Gentleness and serenity were not words that Vilkas had come to know.

And it had carried over into his adulthood and relations with women. The bar wenches of Skyrim had served as his sexual satisfactions. Quick, rough, and even bloody sometimes was the way he had liked it. But with Eisa, her actions had caught him off guard and despite the wolf in him long gone, he reacted like a wild animal caught in a corner.

There were nights when in the wee hours of the morning, he had heard his bedroom door open. She was a skilled warrior at hiding her footsteps but the smell of her clothes gave her away each and every time. Nightingale and grass. He knew it by heart now. Her scent.

She announced her presence each time to him with running her bare warm hands up along his backside. Each time he tried to hear her take off her armored gloves but to no avail. Soon he would be quickly stirred from sleep and turn over onto his backside. His hands would soon make their way up her sides and up to her face to cradle it. Each time he felt her sit on his lap, the animalistic drive in him grew stronger.

At first, the kisses had started just as raw and passionate as the first night of their union. Eisa had surprised him a few times with split lips, bruised skin, and the tasting of his own blood in the crescendo of their growing passion. His own kisses had been nothing short of barbaric and dominant at times.

But one night six weeks into their rendezvous, something had changed. Word had reached Jorrrvaskr around sunset that Eisa had been spotted outside the small town of Riverwood. What had sent Vilkas's heart into a race was the news that she had managed to fend off not one of the legendary beasts known as Dragons but two.

Details were scarce despite Vilkas doing his best to threaten it out of the drunken Companion. Throwing him to the ground, Vilkas had retired to his quarters for privacy and to try and calm his worried mind. It hadn't come of course but much to his surprise, like clockwork, the door to his room creaked open slowly no more than hour or two before sunrise.

It was then, that Vilkas realized, that Eisa had crossed the threshold of the walls surrounding his heart and had claimed it as her own.

* * *

><p><em>Vilkas sat upright in his bed to the sound of the wood on his doorframe opening. Eisa's bruised and exhausted form walked in slowly. She raised her emerald gaze to his and frowned heavily at seeing him awake. She cursed her tired and aching body for being loud.<em>

"_I am sorry to awaken you." Eisa's tender whisper spoke across the silence of the small room. Turning her back to him, the wounded warrior managed to shut the door quieter than she had been opening it. "No doubt word reached Whiterun about Riverwood. Luckily I got there in time before any major damage was done to the mill or…"_

_Eisa suddenly felt Vilkas's muscular chest against her back. His strong arms had wrapped tightly around her stomach and pulled her form back into his. Despite her prowess as a skilled swordsman, her body was tiny compared to his well toned and built body. He dwarfed her in height and width but at that moment, Eisa realized that she couldn't have wanted anything more but to be in his grasp at that moment._

_She had faced utter hell today, had nearly died twice with the appearance of two dragons, and had bruised multiple ribs and bones. However, despite the pain of feeling him grasp her so tightly, it was the most wonderful feeling in the world._

"_Vilkas…" Her whisper had been much softer than she had anticipated. Feeling his lips on her clothed shoulder, she turned her head to the side in time to see his hands working swiftly on the leather strings of her armor. She did nothing but merely stand there with a light red hue on her cheeks. She couldn't control the shivers going up and down her spine as he managed to take her armor off._

_Pushing the sides of her thin undershirt aside, Vilkas with a tenderness he did not know he possessed, began kissing her sore body with soft kisses. Feeling the tickle of his unshaved face, Eisa let out a soft shuddering groan._

"_C-Careful Vilkas…" Eisa whispered softly, trembling not from the uncharacteristic gentleness emitting from him, but the stinging pain shooting through her body._

"_How bad are your wounds Eisa?" His voice asked simply. Turning her to lean back against the wooden door, Vilkas as gently as he could lifted the thin material off of her chest. What awaited him beneath caught him completely off guard._

_Laced along her stomach were small patches of red burned skin. The fires of the great beasts must have burned through her armor in some areas. Along the supple curves of her breasts, long strands of black and blue skin was apparent. Her breast band did little to nothing to cover the scratches and more bruises that covered her entire body._

_Bringing his worried gaze back to Eisa's, his heart nearly stopped at the small whimper emitting from her as he placed a hand along her rib cage._

"_Talos help us…" Vilkas muttered in a low tone. Leading her to his small hay bed, he was grateful that Eisa was too tired and exhausted to object to the tending of her wounds. Sitting her down gently, Eisa watched in tired wonder at the rare scene before her. Vilkas was a gruff and powerful warrior. He never showed concern of this magnitude even to his brother. It sent a flutter through her stomach at seeing him this concerned about her._

"_Let me dress your wounds." Vilkas looked to her. To his relief, she merely nodded in agreement before groaning in the continued stinging of her wounds. Pulling on his thin leather shirt, Vilkas quickly walked out of his room to the available potions, herbs, and bandages._

_A few minutes later, Vilkas walked quietly back in to see Eisa struggling to push her leather pants down. Stopping for a second, Vilkas scolded himself mentally at the sexual thoughts that raced through his mind and body. Now was not the time to be having such thoughts despite with his parts were thinking._

_Setting the medical supplies and bowl of cold water on the large dresser, Vilkas sat her down once again._

"_You shouldn't be doing that." Vilkas began as he pulled down the material down her slender legs as gently as he could. "You could aggravate your wounds even more little one."_

"_Could have said the same to you a few times Vilkas." The teasing smile he met as he brought his gaze up caused a smirk of his own. He knew she was right. Didn't mean he had to acknowledge it. Not yet anyways._

"_Whatever you say my Harbinger."_

_She groaned at the title and shifted uncomfortably._

"_Wish you wouldn't call me that." Eisa could almost spit out the word. It left such a vile taste in her mouth. "I hate the idea of being in charge."_

"_Yet you are."_

"_Don't remind me."_

_Finally getting the pants off, Vilkas stood and picked up one of the small red bottles. Yanking off the cork with little effort needed with his strength, Vilkas handed the bottle to Eisa._

_She was more than happy to accept the bottle as she brought the foul smelling substance to her lips. The taste was atrocious but soon the medicinal lull began making its way through the waves of pain that flowed in and out of her body._

_The deafening pain was now a tolerable ache._

_The minty smell of Aela's medicinal salve soon filled her nostrils as he began rubbing it as gently onto her bruised chest._

"_How did two dragons show up at Riverwood at the same time?"_

"_By the Nine Divine I wish I knew!" Eisa began, sighing heavily as she laid her head on his single pillow. She could smell his musky scent of practice and sweat all over it. Closing her eyes, she turned her head into the pillow and raised a hand to clutch the side of it before continuing._

"_Bloody giant demons must have a spell or something that finds me! I had a shipment of leather strips and ingots that I had promised to Alvor the blacksmith. I was making my monthly trip to the village to drop off the supplies."_

_Vilkas raised a curious eyebrow. "And you couldn't have hired a courier to do this?"_

_Remaining silent for a few seconds, Eisa shrugged her shoulders. She regretted it seconds later as the pain soared through her body._

"_I could have I guess. It's just…" Looking up towards the ceiling, Eisa spoke with a note of admiration. "When I first arrived in Skyrim, I had gone from being on a chop block, watching a dragon burn down Helgen, and thrown out into the unforgiving wilderness without anywhere to do. Without Alvor and his family, I would have starved probably."_

_Looking up from his application of the medicine, Vilkas listened intently. She rarely ever talked about her time before the Companions. To know she trusted him enough with this information meant something big for her._

"_Alvor also took the time to make me a set of armor before I left the town after recovering. His whole family sacrificed so much time and materials for me. I like returning the favor every now and then."_

_Vilkas couldn't have stopped the small smile from spreading over his face if he had wanted to. "He sounds like an honorable Nord."_

"_That he is. Anyways, I got into town and barely made it up the steps of his shop before I heard one of the mill workers scream. The roar of the beast followed only seconds after. The guards were quick to react but they didn't know how to fight the dragon."_

_Sitting up to Vilkas's counseling, Eisa leaned back against the stone wall against the bed as he wrapped the bandages around her chest._

"_The first dragon must have been very young. It only took a few well placed to the face and wings to bring him down. Just after driving my sword through its head, that was when we felt the second dragon swoop down over us."_

_Biting her lower lip, Eisa's gaze suddenly seemed distant and troubled._

"_I didn't realize it until it was too late but the dragon's claws had caught on my pack and before I knew it, I was flying over the town of Riverwood."_

_Vilkas suddenly looked up in sheer disbelief and shock._

"_The dragon was quicker to react than I was and I knew I only had one option. The winds were too strong for me to keep a steady grip on my bow and arrows. From the color of the scales and the fierce cold temperature spreading over my back at the touch of his scales, I knew it was a frost dragon."_

"_Before I could think, I saw the dragon make a turn and fly over the river that runs alongside the town. We were fast approaching the deep parts of the river where if I dropped, I would most likely drop into as unscathed as I could. I drew my dagger, gathered my strength, and used the Thu'um on the beast. The flames finished him off and I quickly cut the straps of the pack as efficiently as I could."_

"_And you dropped into those waters?"_

"_Mara help me, it hurt like Oblivion! The water felt harder than the ground at that speed. I scratched my legs and thighs heavily on the rocks along the bottom but managed to not get too seriously hurt."_

_Looking into his eyes, Eisa's worried gaze closed as she sighed and placed her hands on her stomach to rest._

"_I surfaced in time to see the dragon crash into the side of the mountain. I… I had hoped to the Nine Divine that even at that distance I couldn't take the Dragon's soul. But soon I felt the invasion begin and it was all so much so fast that I ended up throwing up right there along the river side."_

_Tying the bandages closed, Vilkas sat down next to her on the bed. Placing a hand on her cheek, the Companion brought her gaze to his. Simply pressing his forehead along hers, Vilkas ran the tip of his nose along the bridge of her own._

"_I wish I had been there to protect you."_

"_I must be doing something right because as Lady Luck would have it, a Priest of Akatosh was passing by as the commotion happened. The guards managed to pull me out of the water and the priest began healing me. He…"_

_Stopping mid sentence, Eisa felt her lips begin trembling as the words of the priest began ringing through her ears._

"_Eisa? What is it?"_

_When he didn't receive an immediate reply, Vilkas lifted her gaze back to his._

"_What did he say?"_

"_Vilkas…I… While he was healing me, he felt..."_

_Tears began forming in her eyes. She seemed unsure of how to say it or if she even should._

"_For Talos sake Eisa, what did the priest say?"_

"_H-He said…"_

* * *

><p>Vilkas's remembering of the incident was suddenly interrupted at Lydia's screaming from up above.<p>

"_VILKAS!"_

The most agonizing scream Vilkas had ever heard Eisa emit soared throughout the house and was surely loud enough for people in Whiterun's streets outside to hear. Bursting into a full run up the stairs, Vilkas could feel his heartbeat drowning out all other sounds at the moment he pushed the double doors to their bedroom door open.

Sheets covered in blood. The Healer covered up to her elbows in Eisa's life blood. Eisa's head propped up against the wooden headboard and screaming her head off. The single word leaving her lips echoed deeper in his fear than ever body.

His name. By the Gods she was screaming his name.

Lydia's screaming stirred him from his shock.

"Vilkas! GET OVER HERE!"

Racing to his wife's side, Vilkas grabbed her hand in between both of his own.

"_This isn't happening! Talos, please, don't let this happen to her!"_

It was then that Healer's next words struck as much shock and fear into him as Eisa's confession all those months ago did. The echoing of her words reverberated through his very soul at the same time as the Healer's.

"The child is in peril!"

"_Vilkas… The priest said that I am with child."_

* * *

><p><em>Yeah. I have no excuse for the delay in this update. The next chapter will be the epilogue. Hope you're all enjoying this!<em>

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


	5. Tangled

Moon Bourne

By Jackie Almasy

* * *

><p><em>Cause I can't take anymore of this<em>

_I want to come apart_

_And dig myself a little hole_

_Inside your precious heart_

-Staind, "Epiphany"

Chapter 5

Tangled

"Dragonborn, I need you to focus!"

The healer's instructions almost fell on deaf ears. Somehow through her endless screams of pain, clutching of the animal furs beneath her, and panting heavily through her open mouth, Eisa's green eyes somehow managed to open.

What was going on? Oh yeah. She was giving birth to a child. Vilkas and her child was trying to come into this world.

Eisa felt her head loose strength to being held up. Her black hair stuck to her sweaty and pale skin as she gasped through the strong contractions. It had been hours since they had suddenly started. She had witnessed births before passing through villages in her travels. They always seemed so quick.

So why was their child not here yet? In its mother's arms?

"…eisa…!"

That voice. It sounded distant but so familiar. She had heard that tone of voice before. She was sure of that.

Suddenly through the haze of pain and weakening strength, Eisa felt a calloused hand gently cup her cheek and bring her gaze up. Through the mists of her erratic mind, she watched the terrified eyes of Vilkas fall upon her. His unshaven face was pale and stricken with worry. His lips were moving.

Surely he was trying to say something to her. But what was the question.

Her eyelids slowly began dropping. Sleep, that was what she needed. Yes. Sleep.

That would solve everything. Just a little nap.

"….Eisa!"

It was then that the presence of an ice cold cloth on her forehead awoke her from the lull of the blood loss. Gasping out loud, Eisa's awareness of her surroundings suddenly came crashing down on top of her. Her free hand tightened again around the sheets next to her while her occupied one gripped Vilkas's with a renewed strength.

"Breathe my love, breathe!" Vilkas's soft whispers came as she could feel her heartbeat racing against her ribcage. She tried to push the pain out of her mind. She needed something, anything to focus on. The very thought of losing this baby drove a fear into her of the likes she had never felt before.

She couldn't loose it. Not after all this.

Her lips began trembling in the heat of the moment. Bringing her face right into Vilkas's neck to hide her fear, Eisa let out a pain filled cry as another contraction soared through her. Tossing the cloth back to Lydia, Vilkas brought his free hand to the back of her head and cradled it protectively.

"V-Vilkas! H-Hurts…! It…It hurts so much!"

The healer looked up with a heavy frown, grabbing one of the cleanest cloths she could find and wiped her hands free of the blood.

"Vilkas, if you cannot convince your wife to continue pushing, this child will die!"

Temper snapping, Vilkas shot a deathly glare at the woman at the foot of the bed.

"_Shut your mouth!"_

Lydia was quick to intercede, grabbing the healer by the shoulders to keep her from falling back in fear. Giving Vilkas a soft glare, the frown quickly went away as she quickly reassured the healer he didn't mean it.

"Eisa, I know it hurts! I'm here! I won't leave you! But please my love, I need you to focus. Just long enough to push."

He could feel her body tremble heavily in his grasp. Gritting her teeth in pain, Eisa slowly raised her head from his neck. Taking in a few deep breaths, Eisa winced before biting her lower lip. At the healer's command, Eisa focused everything she had left into her pushing. Her backbone went rigid, grip tightened on Vilkas's hand, and her screams began once more.

Vilkas said nothing of the pain he felt in his hand. Though he lost feeling in it minutes ago, he knew his discomfort was nothing compared to the pain she was feeling. His gaze suddenly shifted to her neck. Nestled tightly against her sweaty skin, a single silver necklace held a ring. He instantly recognized it.

* * *

><p><em>The Temple of Mara smelled like incents and floral arrangements. The small party of six witnesses and two acolytes underneath the head priest suddenly surrounded them in the new found glory.<em>

_The shouts and exclamations of excitement soon filled the room as Vilkas was suddenly surrounded by his brother and fellow Companions. Farkas was the first to reach his brother. Bringing his head down heavily on Vilkas's shoulder, Farkas grinned from ear to ear as he shook his brother reassuringly. The smile quickly turned to a laugh as Farkas could see the laugh beginning to emerge out of his brother._

_Vilkas said his thanks to the crowd around him as he turned to look at the priest coming to congratulate him first. He soon began hearing words of matrimony, duties to living by Mara's loving expectations, and treasuring the times he would be spending with his wife from now on. The sudden impact of the words suddenly hit Vilkas head on. The priests words soon became drowned out as the warrior's gaze drifted to across the room at his new wife._

_They had both agreed not to wear anything fancy given how uncomfortable they felt without their armor. Still, someone in her little party of friends had managed to decorate her beautiful black hair with blue mountain flowers. She would never have admitted it but he could see the joy in her eyes in this rare moment of serenity. He watched as Aela with her rare smile gave her shield sister a comforting look._

_His eyes drifted down to her stomach as he watched the small baby bump. She was five months along. Heavy with child but more beautiful with an aura that surrounded her. He could remember how the Companions had reacted to their sharing of the news. Shock and awe had set in at first but surprisingly, Tilma was the first to stand up and smile at them._

_Walking up, she had taken Eisa into a tight hug and praised the Nine Divine openly at how wonderful of a surprise this way. Farkas soon followed and expressed how much he looked foreword to seeing a young pup among the halls of Jorrvaskr. Aela had then sat up, adding in to how she could begin training the child in archery as soon as it could stand._

_Vilkas could have hardly believed the reception they got but soon, the anxiety of his impending fatherhood lifted off of his shoulders. He never thought of himself as a fatherly man. He had always been raised as a warrior and had expected to live a life of constant danger. Bloodshed would always have been his forte or so he had believed._

_Now he would have to learn how to raise a child in this dangerous world. It was then that Vilkas felt a new stirring in his heart. His eyes had fallen on Eisa and it was then that he realized that a new purpose in his life would be to protect her and his unborn child. He had always had a blazing determination to protect his fellow shield brothers and sisters but this responsibility took on a whole new light in his heart._

_Later that night, he had pulled Eisa away from the drunken festivities of Jorrvaskr. Aela had returned earlier that evening with two large deer and soon the whole hall was in merry making moods. Ale began the drink of choice. Singing was growing loud and the smiles never seemed to stop growing._

_Leading her through the quiet streets of Whiterun, Vilkas had sat Eisa down on one of the benches underneath the giant tree in the center of the town. His words of marriage proposal had been anything but smooth. Vilkas had been late in pulling out the amulet had traveled all the way to Riften for, dropping it on the ground in front of her. His flustered anger grew in temper as did the red color on his cheeks._

_As he profusely apologized for messing up this moment, his actions stopped dead in their tracks as he saw Eisa smiling more beautifully than ever. Giggling softly, she went to the ground on her knees next to him and had simply brought his shocked face down to hers. The kiss she gave him was deeper than anything he had ever remembered before._

_It was tender, fulfilling, and more importantly, genuine. He had never doubted her feelings before but this kiss only solidified his belief on a whole new level._

_When she had whispered her single worded answer of yes after the kiss, Vilkas lifted her into his arms. He was quick but careful to not drop her as he made his way through the streets to her house. Kicking the door open to Breezehome, Vilkas had simply ignored Lydia's scream of surprise and beginning ramblings of late night courtesy as he carried her up the steps to her room._

_Soon to be their room._

_The doors quickly locked behind him and the love he made to her throughout the night was gentle and dominant. He lost himself in the gravity of the sex as she had squirmed beneath him at the peak of her orgasms. It was listening to her soft declarations of his name that made him almost stop in his tracks. It fueled on his movements to drive her into unbelievable ecstasy. _

_And later that night as he cradled her sleeping form against his chest, Vilkas watched her silently with a soft and private smile. In the security of that moment in time, Vilkas openly thanked Kodlak for telling him to hold on to hope for a better tomorrow. Finally, he had a glimpse of it and it was more beautiful than anything Kodlak had ever described._

* * *

><p>"One more push! I can see the head!"<p>

Letting out one final scream, Eisa's body suddenly felt a wave of indescribable peace overwhelm her. The little cries of a newborn baby soon replaced her own screams. Collapsing completely into the bed, Eisa's head fell heavily onto Vilkas's shoulder. She could feel his hand pushing hair strands away from her face. The cold compress returned.

None of it mattered. Through all the pain and blood loss, Eisa had managed to pull through. Just to hear the soft cries of her child.

"V-Vilkas…"

Vilkas drew his eyes away from watching the healer like a hawk. He had watched the healer cut the cord from the baby with a clean silver dagger. Quickly calling Lydia over, the healer had instructed the housecarl to assist her in cleaning and warming the baby up. The muffled cries pulled him towards the child but he dared not move away from his wife's side.

He looked down at his wife with swelling pride and accomplishment.

"Yes love?"

"Is… Is the baby okay?" She asked tiredly, her eyes closed and body breathing in deeply.

"Yes… Yes!" Vilkas swallowed the lump in his throat but could not stop the smile from spreading across his face. "Yes, the child is alive. You did well my love. You did so well."

"Oh… Good." Eisa hadn't meant for the answer to seem so casual at such a pivotal moment but her mind and body were exhausted.

"Vilkas…"

"I'm still here."

"I think… I'm going to pass out now."

"W-What? Eisa!"

The calls to the healer fell on deaf ears as Eisa's body finally collapsed under the stress it had just endured. The last words she heard before the darkness of her dreams claimed her were Vilkas calling out to her with fear in his voice.

* * *

><p>Murmurs stirred her from her deep sleep. Eisa groaned softly as she tried ignoring them but the whispers soon grew into loud conversation.<p>

"Why hasn't she awoken yet?"

The return voice seemed tired and drained.

"Vilkas, you must understand. Your wife just went through twelve hours of labor. She has lost a considerable amount of blood also."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"We cannot do anything but wait. Now, follow me and I shall explain to you how to bottle feed your child. Until Eisa has regained her strength, she cannot breastfeed."

The voices grew distant and as sleep did not return, Eisa slowly opened her eyes. At some point after she had passed out, the skins and her nightwear had been changed. The bloody animal furs had been replaced. Her once thick cave bear now felt softer and smooth to the touch.

The hunter in her recognized it as multiple fox skins sewed together. She knew she would have to give Lydia a big thank you later for sacrificing her favorite bed cover.

The small table in the corner was covered in multiple potions and herbs. No doubt the regimen that the healer would want her to undergo for the next couple of days.

The howling wind outside the house rattled on the wood. The room was completely cleaned and changed. A welcome relief from the horror she had witnessed only hours ago.

Hearing the creaking of steps coming towards the doors of her bedroom, Eisa pushed herself up to sit up in the bed against the headboard. She instantly regretted it and swore loudly as she gripped the sheets in tight bunches.

The doors burst open and she looked up to see her husband's worried gaze. Her concern of his impending lecture soon become minimal as her eyes fell upon the bundled child laying in his arms.

"Oh Talos Above…"

She thought she had whispered it to herself but soon realized that Vilkas heard it loud and clear. Turning his gaze down to the small gift in his arms, Vilkas smiled with pride and happiness. Shutting the doors behind him for privacy, he walked carefully over to his wife before sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Eisa, I want you to meet our child." Handing the child to her, Eisa slowly cradled the bundle of joy to her warm nightgown. Making sure to support the child fully, she watched as Vilkas moved the soft rabbit fur away from the face. Strands of black hair soon caught Eisa's emerald gaze. The tiny form opened its soft blue eyes and whimpered, moving the tiny hands against its small body.

"Our son."

She whispered the words as if she didn't believe it. The smile that spread over her face was met with glistening tears in her eyes. She did nothing to stop them. She didn't care if her husband saw her crying. To her, this small boy in her arms was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen in her life.

"Yes." Vilkas replied with overwhelming pride in his voice. "Our son. You did so well my love. I am proud of you."

Leaning foreword to kiss her forehead, Vilkas looked down at their son. Tiny and frail, he had no doubt that he would grow up to be a strong warrior. The child showed signs of being his. The child's nose, chin, and ears were definitely his own. However, the shape of his eyes and color of his hair could be solely attributed to his mother.

"I can't believe it… He's really here, in my arms."

"Believe it Eisa. I don't think he's planning on going anywhere anytime soon."

"Vilkas… We need to name him."

"Mmm. That we do love."

They had briefly discussed names a few weeks ago finally but nothing had been settled on. It was then that Eisa seemed to always be one step ahead and say what had been on his mind.

"I want to name him after Kodlak." She looked up into her husband's gentle gaze. Simply nodding in response, he chimed in.

"My brother suggested a name to me the other day. Asvar."

"Asvar…" Eisa whispered, pondering over it before fully smiling. "Asvar Whitemane. I like it. What do you think?"

"I think it is a fine name. A strong name. Much like his mother's."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Vilkas turned his head to the tiny silvers of glass along the wooden walls not too far away. Through the darkness of the night, Vilkas noticed the glowing silver light of the moon in the distance. He couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry at the fact that on this night his son was born to a full moon.

Perhaps Hircine did have a sense of humor after all.

* * *

><p><em>Done! I hope you all enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed writing it.<em>

_Now I will begin on my next project which shall be a Brynjolf/Dragonborn themed story._

_Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks to all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story._

_Happy New Year to you all!_

_Till next time,_

_Jackie Almasy_

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is copyrighted by Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. I own nothing.


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